Episode 75: Aging as an Evolutionary Program with Josh Mitteldorf

As FxMed docs, we’re committed to working with the body’s own
capacity for health. Dr. Josh Mitteldorf offers a contrarian
strategy, one which he says is grounded in a new breed of
evolutionary medicine. He tells us that diseases of old age are
qualitatively different from the diseases we get when we’re
younger, different because in old age, our bodies are part of the
problem, not part of the solution. Aging, says Josh, is the body
deliberately destroying itself (for the sake of the population),
via inflammation and apoptosis and autoimmune diseases. In this
interview, Josh and I find common ground talking about hormesis. In
Josh’s theory, the fact that the body lives longer when stressed
(e.g. caloric restriction) is proof that the body isn’t trying its
hardest to stay young when it’s not stressed. It may sound like
philosophy, but there are real consequences for the future of
medicine. These are challenging ideas, so I’m eager to hear what
you think, and be sure to leave a review wherever you listen to New
Frontiers! Thank you! ~DrKF